Should I plan on a Level 2 charger?

[czar]

The VW dealers I spoke to were pretty pushy about the purchase of a Bosch Level 2 charging system. I can see the benefit, but my daily commute is really short - literally 2.5 mi each way. I also drive ~1 mile R/T in the am (unless I walk it time and weather permitting) to get coffee, and then head 2.5 mi home. Sure, sometimes I add .5-1mi on way home to make a stop to grab some dinner or - ha - gas, but this is exactly why I want an electric car. On occasion, I need to go to a meeting during the work day - typically 1x every 2-3 weeks - within 20mi of me; if it's further, I take the train.

Ultimately, I see average daily use of less than 10-15 mi. How long should I expect to charge on 110 to refill hat amount of usage? There is a free, Level 2 charger that gets little use within walking distance (across from where I get my coffee) from me, where it would be safe to park the car for an extended period of time. I have parked my car in that same lot many times overnight before.

Based on the above usage, should I be budgeting for a Level 2 or will replacing 10-15 mi of usage each day be pretty easily done via the supplied cord?

 

[oftheseven]

If your commute is that short, then no, I don't think you will need a Level2 charger. Plus, the nearby Level 2 should be adequate for and "extra" fill ups.

If you charge over night, then the 110 plug will be plenty. It will take about 2.5 - 3 hours for your 10-15 miles.

Here's some good info: http://www.pluginamerica.org/drivers-seat/understanding-electric-vehicle-charging

 

[TrailRider]

Level 1 charger should be just fine for your limited daily mileage.

 

[miimura]

If you drive less than 50 miles per day, you can charge overnight (10 hours) on the provided L1 charge cord. It helps to have someplace nearby with a L2 or L3 just in case.

I have a 240V outlet ready for our e-Golf, but I just haven't bothered to buy the charging station because the L1 is doing the job. If it's not done in the morning I just put it on the "big boy" charging station that I use for our other car for an hour or so before my wife leaves for work.

 

[sweetwagon]

Personally I'm limited by my lease anyway to approx 32mi/day so I have no good reason to get an L2 charger except maybe for the occasional burst usage but even then I can probably get to 70% for the next day using the L1.

Anyway, logic aside...I still want one :lol:

 

[czar]

Ok great, hanks for all the feedback. That's what I was hoping since it would be a definite investment to get one installed somewhere usable.

Thanks!

 

[miimura]

Just as an example, we drove the e-Golf 48 miles on Saturday with an average consumption of 4.1mi/kWh. I plugged it in using the provided 120V charge cord at 9:30pm. It finished charging at about 7:30am.

 

[EggGolf]

Neither of the VW dealers I went to were pushy about the charger nor any information regarding rebates.

Indeed the at the first dealership I spent my test drive explaining energy recuperation to the salesman.

At VW of Santa Monica the salesman was more informed but still not pushy.

i would plan on getting a level 2 charger if you want to drive your car every day. I got a Siemens Versicharge and it works well. It also casts a pulsating ghastly green glow across the garage at night which I imagine would freak out anyone passing by.

 

[Richie]

Definitely no need to get a Level 2 charger for you - especially if you have a free Level 2 walking distance from you. You can charge with the standard outlet at home with your low usage. And if you happen to make longer trips / you have the free Level 2 nearby.

 

[czar]

So just with a few days of ownership, the Level II charger in town will work perfectly in decent weather. After putting ~60 mi on the odometer on the way home, it charged it completely in about 2.5 hours. Using the carnet app was able to keep tabs on it and grab it when it was done.

I do wish the charger would unplug for someone else to use if it's done.

Winter may be a different story!

 

[Skryll]

The answer is: you don't need it, especially if you can charge on a level 2 charge point close by. But it certainly is convenient.

There are a lot cheaper chargers out there like the siemens versicharge that I got for <$800, but then you still need an electrician to hook it up, which easily costs several hundred dollars on top of that. I happened to have the electrician that hooked up the solar system also hook it up at no extra cost, so that made the decision to get one even easier.

I used to make do with the L1 charger that came with the car, but sometimes you want to leave soon again or do some more trips than normal and then having the L2 charger in the garage is actually very nice. I now think a lot less about charge point and charging opportunities outside of home.

Now if only there would be some DC fast chargers available at some of the locations I don't dare go with the eGolf yet because its more than 50% away

 

[czar]

Well after just 3 weeks of ownership, I'll update my post. First, I'm finding that we are putting more miles on that's expected. In 3 weeks, we've put on about 750 miles, or about 35 mi/day.

While I have access to a nearby L2 charger, it's not always available, and it's a bit frustrating to drive over and find it in use - sometimes with a line or with an ICE car in the spot. Certainly a great perk to have it close but dependable about 75% of the time.

The L1 charger works fine but I'm finding that I tend to charge in one of 3 ways - full 2-4 hour charge at a L2 charger, full 12+ hour charge at home after a couple days use (so with 30 mi or so left),or in small charge bursts (e.g., there are 2 charge point chargers always empty near the Starbucks I go to), which I can pick up 10-15 mi in a relatively short time.

Anyway, the L1 charger is fine for my needs but I'd much prefer to have something more convenient and faster. I have an electrician coming out to look at possibly install in a plug outside. I'm hoping I can cost-share the expense between the golf and the generator I have that can plug into a 240 outlet with the right setup.

 

[czar]

Just a further update. We love driving his car. My little kids love it too. So what was initially purchased as a 10mi/day car is now seeing a lot of use outside of my work commute. My wife is taking it on shopping trip, etc., so we've now been averaging 50 mi/day, and needing to charge more and more. The L1 is painfully slow, especially if I need to go back out after.

So two thoughts for potential buyers - you may use it more than you anticipated; and you might want an L2 charger even if you didn't think you would!

 

[miimura]

Just a further update. We love driving his car. My little kids love it too. So what was initially purchased as a 10mi/day car is now seeing a lot of use outside of my work commute. My wife is taking it on shopping trip, etc., so we've now been averaging 50 mi/day, and needing to charge more and more. The L1 is painfully slow, especially if I need to go back out after.

So two thoughts for potential buyers - you may use it more than you anticipated; and you might want an L2 charger even if you didn't think you would!

Your experience is very common in new EV families. People think that it will just be the commuter car for one family member - a "second car" if you will. After a short time, it becomes the go-to car for any and every possible outing. After we got our first EV, the ICE car was only used when we had to have both cars in use at the same time. So, it was truly the "second car". After about a year of that, we realized that we really didn't need the ICE car at all and we are now a two EV family. We haven't had any trips to the gas station in four months except when we have flown out of town and rented a car.

With all that said, I highly recommend at least one 240V EVSE at 30A or more. However, I have not purchased a second one because if the 120V charge cord comes up short, I can just top off with the 240V EVSE that had already charged the other car.